Tuesday, 11 February 2014

A video made today in memory of Shirley Temple
(1928-2014) who died yesterday. It is forged from personal reflections on Heidi (Allan Dwan, 1937),
and uses refilmed, cropped and re-edited digitised sequences from the black
and white, and colorised versions of the film.

'[Shirley] Temple must be approached as an intermediary and
complicating presence poised between the adult originated film fiction
and the viewer.' [Gaylyn Studlar, Precocious Charms: Performing Girlhood
in Classical Hollywood Cinema (University of Califirnia Press, 2013) p.
67.

'The only other Temple film released in 1937 was HEIDI, which,
according to Edwards, was a story suited to Temple's "slightly more
mature personality". Edwards points out that Temple's hair had darkened
and her ringlets brushed back into curls. Temple's theatrical instincts
had sharpened, Edwards observes, and she suggested the Dutch song and
dance dream sequence. After minor disagreements about the dance steps
with the other children in the scene, director Allan Dwan had badges
made reading "Shirley Temple Police".' Every child was issued one after
swearing allegiance and obedience to Temple. Shirley wore one reading
'Chief'. "Shirley Temple", Wikipedia, Accessed February 11, 2014: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirley_Temple. Citing Edwards, Anne (1988). Shirley Temple: American Princess. William Morrow and Company, Inc.: 106, 107, 111.